PRT is a Difficult Bombing Target

PRT might be used to automatically deliver a terrorist's bomb.

To counter this threat, the PRT vehicle should be equipped with a 'start' button that the user must push after the vehicle door has closed to begin their trip. This simple procedure insures that the vehicle is indeed occupied, requiring the truly dedicated terrorist to accompany his device.

The PRT system makes a poor target for a terrorist bomber, since it is designed to avoid the formation of the crowds that make traditional transit a tempting target. The terrorist rides in a vehicle alone (or with a like minded partner), there is a relatively large distance between them and other occupied vehicles, and the stations are designed to move people onto the system as the arrive without forcing a crowd to gather.

The start button is also needed to deter simple pranksters and in case a passenger changes their mind at the last minute, exiting the vehicle while the door is closing.

But perhaps the bomber is not targeting the transit system itself but aiming for a nearby building or facility? This requires the bomber's device to be small enough to conceal and carry on his person without causing undue suspicion while walking to the station and boarding the PRT vehicle. Compare this to the potential for building a much larger device into an automobile in the privacy of a garage and simply driving it to the street underneath the PRT guideway near the target.

The PRT system adds little to the risk that is already posed by the public street over which most of the system is placed. In the case of truly security sensitive locations, the PRT system is subject to the same construction and location restrictions applied to public streets.